Infraestruturas de Portugal Launches 61km High-Speed Rail PPP, €4.76B

Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) has initiated the public tender for the Oiã–Soure section of the Porto–Lisbon high-speed rail line. The contract is structured as a 30-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with a maximum value of €1.6 billion allocated for design and construction. The deadline for the submission of proposals by competing consortia is 25 May 2026.

The scope of the concession covers the construction of a 61-kilometre double-track high-speed alignment. It also includes 22 kilometres of connections to the conventional Northern Line at locations near Oiã, Adémia, and Taveiro. The project mandates the quadrupling of the existing Northern Line between Taveiro and the southern approach to Coimbra station, which will itself be upgraded to accommodate high-speed services.

Over the 30-year term, total availability payments from Infraestruturas de Portugal to the selected concessionaire are capped at €4.76 billion. The concessionaire will be responsible for the maintenance of the newly constructed high-speed infrastructure and a new traction power substation in Coimbra. Maintenance for the upgraded sections of the Northern Line and the modernized Coimbra station is excluded from this PPP contract.

This tender is the second major procurement for the Porto–Lisbon project, following the contract for the Porto–Oiã section. The Portuguese state has allocated an additional €600 million in public funds to cover associated costs such as land expropriations and project supervision. The first phase of the high-speed line, which incorporates the Oiã–Soure segment, is scheduled to become operational in 2030.